Shifted Magic (Fated to the Wolf Book 1) Read online

  SHIFTED MAGIC

  FATED TO THE WOLF BOOK ONE

  HEATHER RENEE

  Shifted Magic © Copyright 2022 by Heather Renee

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.

  For more information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book, email [email protected].

  ISBN: 979-8423734695

  Development Editing: Amy McNulty

  Line Editing and Proofing: Jamie from Holmes Edits

  Cover: Covers by Juan

  Character Art Images: Samaiya Art

  CONTENTS

  A note from the author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Stay in Touch

  Also by Heather Renee

  About the Author

  DEDICATION

  For Chanell Renea Drew.

  Your light is missed in this world.

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Hello beautiful reader!

  It’s extremely sad to me that I even have to start including this in my books, but alas, there are cruel people out in the world that have made this necessary.

  If you did not download the ebook version of this book from Amazon, or you were not gifted the ebook directly from me, the author, then you are reading a pirated copy of this book. Please, delete this copy and grab one from Amazon so you can help support the creation of more books in the future!

  There are more and more illegal sites popping up online that not only give my books away when they have no right to, but sometimes they also sell them, profiting 100% of the money. Every penny in their pocket is less back to me that will allow me to continue doing what I love—writing.

  Thank you for your understanding and support! I look forward to many more years of creating stories just for you!

  1

  ANDIE

  There was nothing like the sweet scent of denial. A lie I often told myself to feel better. In fact, there wasn’t a single good thing about rejecting the truth. Stomach aches? Yes. Chest pains from increased anxiety? Definitely. An unknown, possibly magical, energy increasing inside me? Quite possibly.

  Today was one of those days when the aches and pains were relentless. Even worse, over the last few months, each day seemed to get progressively worse. Yet, I hadn’t figured out what any of it meant—just that the way I was feeling wasn’t normal.

  The bell jingled over the door to the gift shop I worked in, forcing me to shove my agonizing thoughts away and smile brightly at the new customer.

  “Hello. Please, let me know if I can help you find anything,” I called from behind the counter. I wasn’t a pushy salesperson, but I had no problem chatting with the shoppers if that was what they wanted. Though, today I’d be okay if there weren’t any other customers coming through the door before I closed up in six more hours.

  A small smile played on my lips as I organized the gemstones on the counter to try to keep my mind from spiraling. The smooth moonstone I rotated in my hand reminded me of the necklace I’d been given on my ninth birthday that I kept safe in my jewelry box at home.

  I’d been working at the gift shop ever since I traded the craziness of Los Angeles for a small tourist town in Montana after my mother died. I’d thought getting away from the big city life was what I’d wanted, but the longer I was here, the more my heart yearned, needing something more.

  There was nothing wrong with the life I’d built out in the sticks, but I also knew something was missing. Only I had no idea what that something was.

  The middle-aged woman with icy-blonde hair waved her hand in front of my face. “Excuse me.”

  I blinked rapidly. “Yes, I’m sorry. How can I help you?”

  She pointed toward a section on the back wall. “Is the sale for only what’s on that shelf or the whole wall?”

  “The whole wall,” I replied sweetly, using my “work voice” and feeling bad that I hadn’t been paying close enough attention to the sole customer in the store like I was paid to do.

  The woman’s sage eyes widened with glee as she quickly went back to shopping. At least my boss was going to be happy. Speaking of, I could hear her footsteps coming down the stairs at a hurried pace.

  “How was bookkeeping?” I asked when she came around the corner.

  Madelyn’s normally soft-blue eyes were red and puffy, and her olive skin was pale. “I’m so sorry, Andie, but I have to go. There was a death in the family, and I won’t be back for a few days.” Fresh tears fell down her cheeks, and she made a hiccupping sound.

  Her grief hit me in the chest, and the floor felt like it was falling out from under me. Today was not the day for high emotions.

  Madelyn sucked in a breath. “Oh, no. The order for the spring festival. It has to be done tomorrow, and I didn’t finish the inventory.”

  She covered her face and began to sob. I took a few steps forward, pulling my boss into my arms with shaky hands as memories of my own sorrow rose to the surface. I’d experienced loss several times throughout my life, beginning with my father’s death, followed by the disappearance of my aunt, then the passing of my mother a few years ago. The weight of being left behind time and time again had a way of staying with a person.

  “It’s okay. I’ll take care of everything. Do you need a ride home?” I asked, putting on a brave face for her.

  Madelyn shook her head, reminding me of my mom when she used to get frantic. “My husband Rob is coming to get me. It was my sister. There was an accident and… Oh, God. She can’t really be gone.”

  I squeezed her tighter. “I’m so sorry, Madelyn. Don’t worry about anything here. Susy and I will take care of whatever needs to be done.”

  She hiccupped again and pulled back to wipe her wet face with the sleeve of her cream-colored sweater. “Please, tell Susy for me. I just can’t call her right now. I’ll be back as soon as I’m able.”

  I was scheduled to have the next few days off, but if Susy needed the help with Madelyn gone, I didn’t mind working extra shifts, especially under the circumstances. Maybe the distraction of more responsibility would be just what I needed, given I’d made no real friends since moving to Montana, something that may have been subconsciously intentional.

  “I’ll email you the inventory numbers and my recommendation for the order by the morning. Susy will be working tomorrow, but I can come in, too, if it gets busy. Everything will be fine here,” I said confidently.

  Madelyn nodded, but her eyes were vacant as her mind was likely
focused only on the sorrow that she was feeling. “Thank you, Andie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  I saw her husband’s car out front and guided her toward the door. “I’m happy I can help. I’ll be thinking of your family. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss. Call me if you need anything.”

  Her shoulders shook, and she shuffled out of the door without another word.

  After hearing of Madelyn’s loss, my past was trying harder than normal to sneak its way to the forefront of my mind, but there was work to be done. So, I pushed the growing anguish to the recesses of my mind, where I tried to keep those kinds of feelings, then turned to the customer still in the store.

  She stared sheepishly at me. “I’m sorry to bother you, but…”

  I smiled at her, putting on my best customer service face. “Oh, you’re not a bother. Let me help you with your items.”

  It was only noon, but after that interaction and the night of inventory ahead of me, I knew it was going to be one long-ass day.

  While I walked to the counter with the customer’s items, tingles moved along my arms, causing familiar unease. Though, for the first time since they’d started happening, I didn’t want to pretend the energy I could feel inside me wasn’t there. Maybe it was time I stopped pushing everything down and figured out a way to move forward. Maybe it was time to find out if the magical stories my aunt used to tell me as a child had been more than fables to put me to sleep.

  Just over ten hours later, I made a stop in the bathroom before closing the gift shop. As I washed the dust from storage boxes off my hands, I stared at my azure eyes, taking in the permanent flush that graced my cheeks on my alabaster complexion.

  I was okay. I’d made it through the day, and tomorrow would be the same. I just had to get home, put my newly pink hair in a messy bun, change into my favorite pajamas, and turn on the latest comedy show I’d been binging. A terribly lame night for most twenty-one-year-olds, but it suited me just fine.

  I dried off my hands and headed toward the front door, glad that I’d been able to get the inventory done. I’d even stayed a little longer to email Madelyn the information she’d need for the upcoming festival just so I didn’t have to wake up early tomorrow to do it. Hopefully, she’d have time to place the order on the website I didn’t have access to. Otherwise, grief wasn’t going to be her only problem in a few weeks.

  My eyes burned from the longer-than-expected shift, and I locked the door behind me. It was dark outside when I stepped onto the sidewalk. I let out a yawn, ready to be back at my small cottage house. Maybe once I’d had some time to decompress, I could start searching for my aunt again.

  If the added energy and tingles were what I was beginning to finally believe they were, and Aunt Junie’s stories had been real, I was going to need her more than ever. I didn’t know why she’d left me, but hopefully by finding her I could get the answers I’d been longing for ever since.

  A gust of wind blew over me, and I tightened my fleece jacket around me. It was mid-April, but in Montana, that didn’t always mean warm spring weather. I’d done my best to grow accustomed to it after living in the woods for the last few years.

  The businesses on our street were already closed, so it was darker than I was used to without their lights on, leaving only the dim streetlamps to guide my way. Though, it was the quiet that bothered me most.

  My walk home usually only took ten minutes if I cut through the alleys, but an eeriness stirred inside me when I glanced up and down the empty street. The tension in my chest grew stronger than ever, causing my breath to come in ragged puffs.

  Following my instincts, I turned left to take the main road. Even though it would double the time to get home, being out in the open loosened some of the unease plaguing me.

  My hands warmed to an uncomfortable temperature as I swiftly walked toward home. My anxiety was spiking and causing an episode I wasn’t prepared for. Normally, when they happened, I was safely tucked away in my house. Tonight, I wasn’t going to be as lucky if I didn’t get my crap together.

  I shoved my fists into the deep pockets of my jacket and picked up the pace, then began repeating my mantra inside my head.

  Whatever was inside me was absolutely normal. If magic was real, it didn’t have to be frightening. I wasn’t losing my mind. Nothing about the pulsing energy dancing inside me was a sign that maybe I was just losing my mind. Noth-ing.

  As my thoughts went rampant, the air around me cooled, making my muscles tense up and my chest burn with the need to draw deep breaths that I wasn’t currently capable of.

  By the time I got to the main street, I was practically running, but I stopped abruptly when a shadow passed in front of me.

  This could not be happening.

  The town I’d chosen to disappear in was low on the crime scale and only had about five thousand people who lived here year-round. It was big enough that not everyone knew your business, but small enough that people were friendly and not filled with road rage. It was the kind of place where someone could forget their past and settle into the unknown.

  I took a shaky breath and scanned the streets. There was nobody in front of me, and the warmth in my hands stopped spreading. A small thing to be thankful for. I continued forward, only to hear footfalls behind me. Any control I’d thought I had over my anxiety was shattered.

  My body started to tremble and the energy inside me lit up like wildfire. The flesh on my palms tickled as if flames physically licked up my skin, even though I knew my hands were safely hidden away in my jacket.

  I tried to gracefully glance behind me when I turned the corner, but due to the klutz gene I’d inherited from my mother, I ended up ramming my side into the brick wall and seeing nothing helpful as I stumbled, barely staying on my feet.

  Smooth, Andie. Real smooth, I thought, rubbing the sore spot on my hip.

  I straightened and quickened my pace, but with every step closer to home, my apprehension grew. My palms were sweaty, and my heartbeat was quickening. I was halfway to my house, but the feeling of dread consumed me once again.

  I pulled out my phone from my pocket and opened the ride-share app that was really only helpful during tourist season, but if a driver was near enough, I’d just stay right where I was, under the dim streetlight, until someone could pick me up and take me right to my front door. Yeah, that was the best idea.

  As I started typing in my information, my phone zapped me, then the screen went black. I held the power button down, trying to turn it back on, but there was nothing happening.

  “What the hell?” I muttered to myself, trying not to freak out again.

  I looked around, wondering if the footfalls I’d heard before meant that someone who, with any luck, wouldn’t look like a serial killer was nearby and I could ask to borrow their phone.

  Of course, I wasn’t that fortunate. Someone was definitely close behind me, but she didn’t scream friendly with her long, grey coat and dark hair shielding most of her face as she stiffly leaned against the nearest wall, acting like she didn’t see me.

  When I turned to continue toward home, a second stranger suddenly loomed in the shadows at the opposite end of the block. I was pretty sure this one was a man, based on the short hair I could see peeking out from under the hat he had tilted down over his face, but he was dressed in the same type of long coat, concealing his body, so maybe I was wrong.

  I quickly reassessed my situation. I couldn’t go back, but going forward didn’t seem like the best idea, either, so I decided to cut across the street and see what the two lurkers did.

  Double-checking the road was clear, I darted across, thankful I wasn’t the type of woman to wear heels. Converse were the safest choice of footwear for someone prone to accidents.

  As I stepped onto the sidewalk opposite from where I’d been, a woman who looked eerily familiar appeared in front of me. Almost as if she’d come out of nowhere.

  She was tall, possibly close to six feet with the spike-heeled bo
ots that she wore over denim-blue skinny jeans. She also had on a black leather jacket with a golden silk top underneath that matched her hair. Her appraising eyes were a light amber color with darker brown rings around them.

  “Hello, Andie. I’m Charlie,” she said. “You most likely don’t remember me, but I need you to trust me. I’m a friend of Junie’s.” She looped her arm through mine, dragging me farther down the street.

  I tried to jerk away, but her hold only tightened. “How do you know my aunt?” I demanded.

  Panic rose inside me. I’d just been thinking about her and now some stranger was here saying she knew her. Something about that was too strange to be a coincidence.

  “We don’t have time for that conversation right now. I just want to make sure you get home safely.” Her gaze avoided mine and she glanced around before urging us forward with more strength than I’d expected.

  “Um, I can manage that on my own, but thanks.” None of my internal warning bells were going off with Charlie’s closeness, but I couldn’t ignore the rise of emotions swirling inside me. Things hadn’t been normal for longer than I cared to admit. I had to be careful who I trusted, even if it was with something as simple as getting me home.

  Well, that was my thought until things escalated to a whole new level of insanity.

  A flash of light flew toward us, and Charlie yanked on my arm, causing me to crash onto my knees. “What the…?” I started to snap at her, but the appearance of white, shimmering magic growing around her hands shut me right up.